Leather-working machine.



L. F. CUTLER.

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

APPUCATION FXLED SEPT.4. |917. l

Patented May 28,1918,

LEwIs E. cuTLER, or SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNoR To THE TURNER TANNINGMACHINERY COMPANY, or PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION oE MAINE.

LEATHERIWORKNG MACHINE.

Lacasse.

Specification of Letters Patent. Paternidad May 23, i913.

Application filed September 4, 1917. Serial No. 189,467.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS F. CUTLER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,yhave invented an Improvement in Leather-Working `Machines, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like characters on the` draw-` ings representing likeparts. i

This invention relates to machines for treating hides, skins and leatherof that class in which a working tool is reciprocated lengthwise of thebed upon which the work is supported, andin whichthe bed isautomatically maintained under tension.

The invention has for its object to provide a machine of thecharacterreferred to, in

y will be described.

which a bladed cylinder may be used as'the reciprocating tool and act onthe Work in a superior manner and in Some cases `perform a kind of worknow performed by hand, as

To Vthis end themachine is provided with a bed having novel features aswillfbe described. f i

Figurev 1 represents a sufficient portion of a hide and leather workingmachine `embodying this invention to enable the same to be understood. TFig. 2, an end elevationof the machine shown in Fig. 1 looking towardthe left, and Fig. 3, an enlarged cross section `on the line 33, Fig. 1.4 f Y y Referring to Fig. 1, a represents a` bladed cylinder oroperating tool. such as now .commonly used in hide and leather worldngmachines, and which coperates with and isreciprocated in any suitablemanner lengthwise of a bed or support b for the hide, skin or leather. cl

The bed b comprises essentially a strip or apron 10 of flexiblematerial, such as canvas, which is Ifastened at one end as by screws 12or otherwise to a stationary member or frame work, comprising a castingor metal plate` 13 having near its opposite ends pairs of uprights 14,1,5, which support rollers 16,17,` over whichthe strip or apron 10 ispassedto form a substantially horizontal working section 18 between saidrollers, said strip being attached `as by screws 19 or otherwise to aroller 20, rotatably mounted in brackets or arms 21 attached to thecastingor plate 13 andforming part of the bed frame. As shown in Fig. 1,the arms 21 are inclined downward from one end of the casting or plate13 and the strip 10 is passed under the roller 20 and secured to thelatter above the horizontal center of its shaft 22. The flexible strip10 is automatically maintained under tension, which is accomplished inthe present instance by means of weights 23, adjustably mounted onlevers or arms 211 fastened to the shaft 22. The tension of the strip 10may be regulated `by moving the weights 23 lengthwise on the arms orlevers 24C andthe weights may be secured in their adjusted 4positionbysuitable set screws 25 or otherwise. The working section 18 of the stripor apron 10 has coperatingwith `it a substantially rigid member 26,preferably a steel plate, which is of a length substantiallyA equal tothe length` ofthe working section 18, and upon which the latter rests.The plate 26 is free to move bodily ina direction substantially at rightangles to the length of the working section18 of the strip 10, and tothis'end it is yieldingly supported, which may be accomplished in anysuitable man-` ner, and in the present instance, isshown` asV resting ona cushion 30 of rubber or other resilient materiahwhich is located ashereinshown at the :longitudinalcenter' of the platej 26 andkissupported by a suitableupright 31, on the bed frame 13. The plate 26also has cooperating with it means for ren-.y

dering vit fixed or stationary temporarily for a purpose as will bedescribed, and in the present instance, said means are shown as aplurality of screw-threadedrods 32, which are extended up through thebed plate-or frame 13 and maybe turned in one direction to bring them upinto contactwith plate 26 The working section of the stripor apron,Y

10 may have the hide, skin orl leather, not shown,`,.placed'directlyupon it, but ist is pre1- ferred to provide the said working,section with, a bolster of any suitable or usual materialand `vvlllichisherein 'represented as a layer 35 ofz rubber 'resting 'on and preferablyvulcanized to the strip 10 and a layer 3d o f leather covering saidrubber layer, the leather covering beingI fastened at its frontl end'"to the strip 10' by suitable devices 37.

The hide, skin or leather 'te be treated is laid upon the bolster 36,35, and is subjected to'y the 'action Vof a working tool, Iprefe'rablythe blad'ed 'cylinder or roll a, such as' new commonly employed rin hideand leathermachin'es and which is vrepre'sented by the dottedlineicirc'les in Fig. l.

7"The bladed "cylinder a is reciprocated lengthwise of theA bed' bysuitable mechanism, not" shownbu`t vwhich may be such as new' commonlyemployed in machines for whitening and yleulfin'g leather,l 'an exampleof which is disclosed in U. S. Patent No.

631,359'dated August 22, 1899.

- the ,line 41.

The bladed cylinder` a is moved from the frontto` the rear of the bed ina 'substantially hrizontai plane, indicate-d by 'die line 4.0, and isreturned in the plane 'indicated by The Yb'laded cylinder a on itsforward movement 'indicated bythe arrow l2 acts n the upper surface ofthe work klaid upon ythe blster 36,' 35, and on Vits return lmovement islout Of Contact with the work. d

Afterthepath of mveinent of the bladed cylinder a hasbeen determined,the screws 3'2are turned uptoengage'the'plate 26 'and rigidly 'supportthe saii'1e, "and the bolster 36, 35,`is trimmed,'c1tby thebladedcylinder Soast cciiformtethe f ath ofv forward mvement ef'the bladedcinder indicated by the# line 40. Thescrews "32 are their baeked ofi' topermit the bed and the leather thereon to yield ore'r le'ssundertheaction of' the bladed `cylinder 'a on the forward Orfbtive stroke dfthe latter."

' vlierear"end f'the'apron or strip 10 is free to nieveY accrding tothepressure placed upon thejwork by the bladed cylinder a constant 'tensionis maintained upon thespran er strip 1o irrespective of the variationlinL 'thick-'nes's ofthe wrlib'y the 'weighted levers 24, which are'raised 'by Ithe rotation of the shaft 2Q and relier 2() under' theinfluence of the r`pressure of the working tool a 'upen the yw'ork onthe bolster 36, 35.

`Theplate 226 acts 'te ldistribute the pres-y sure ofthe bl'adedcylinder t lengthwise of the 'working `section I8'- of the ie'xiblestrip oraprn 10, and' kvthe vyieldingsupport for the plate and v'workingsection ofthe flexible bed acts to 1lequalize the .resistance of thevbed solas to ebtainv a' uniform or substantially uniform depth of cut inthe ,work over nevermind@ A bed embodying this invention enables themachine in which it is employed to buff leather and especially highlystuffed leather on the grain side,.which now is accomplished only by theuse of handeoperated' sl'ickers so far as I am aware. l Y Also amaterial saving of leather 1s obtained, for in the old method of handbulling on the grain side as much as tv ienty-eight per cent. by weightof material is removed, whereas with-"a machine provided with myimproved bed, only from fifteen to eighteen per cent. was taken `off in\the buliin'g operation.

Furthermore the leather is given a finer surface. Se also, ylight weightleather can be whitened with the machine.

I have hereiny shown oneembodiment of thel invention, but it is notdesired to limit the invention to the particular construction sho-wn.

Claims:

l. In a machine ofthe character described, in combination, a flexiblebed fastened `at one end "and `having Yits opposite -end free to move,means connected with said free end to place the :flexible bed undertension and' to maintain Ithe lattersubstantially uniform, a rigidmember located under said flexible b ed and jcop'e'rating therewith tomove bodily with the flexible' bed under the action of a working tool,nieans coperating with said rigid inem/ber to prevent movement thereofunder one condition, yto permit movement, thereof under anothercondition, and t0 limit movement of the rigid member under th influenceof said vworking tool, a cushion for yieldingly resisting movement ofsaid rigid member and the hexible bed under "the lastfmentionedcondition.

In a machine of the character described, in combinatioii,` a flexiblebed fastened at one end and having its opposite end free to move, meanscennected with said free endl to place the fieXible bed under tensionand to maintain thel latter substantially uniform, a 'memberlolcatedunder said fleible bed and 'co'jpera'tng' therewith to mofe bodily' withythel'fleizibley bed under theaction of a working tool, meanscoperatin'g withl said rigid member toprevent movement thereof under onecondition, to permit movement thereof under another condition, r,and tothe said 'working' Section undelf'the action of' 1,267,853 :lit

movement of said rigid member under the influence of said tool.

4. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a stationaryframe provided ywith uprights spaced apart, devices supported by saiduprights, a ieXib-le strip extended over said devices to form a workingsection and having one end fixed and its opposite end movable, meansconnected with said movable end for placing said strip under tension andmaintaining the latter substantially uniform while permitting movementof said bed under the action of an operating tool, a rigid membercoperating with the flexible strip between said uprights and bodilymovable with said strip under the influence of' said operating tool, andmeans for permitting said rigid member to be moved bodily under theinfluence of said operating tool and for resisting said movement.

5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a flexiblebed, means for placing the same under tension while permitting movementof said bed under the action of an operating tool, and means cooperatingwith the underside of said bed between its ends to yieldingly resistmovement of the flexible bed under the influence of' said tool whilemaintaining the contour of the flexible bed the same irrespective of theplace in the length of the said bed with which the said operating toolis engaged.

6. In amachine of the character described, in combination, a flexiblebed, uprights spaced apart for supporting said flexible bed and forminga working section thereof between said uprights, means for placing saidflexible bed under tension while permitting movement of the workingsection under the action of an operating tool, a plate located betweensaid nprights and extended substantially the length of the workingsection to coperate therewith and movable bodily for its entire lengthwith said working section under the influence of the operating tool tomaintain the contour of the working surface of the bed the sameirrespective of the place in the length of the working section withwhich the operating tool is engaged, and a cushion located between saiduprights and` substantially at the center of said working section andcooperating with said rigid member to yieldingly resist bodily movementof the latter and of said working section.

7. In amcahine of the character described, in combination, a fiexblebed, uprights spaced apartlto support said bed and form a workingsection, mechanical means for yieldingly supporting the bed between theends of its working section and to resist movement of the bed under theaction of' an operating tool, and .rigid means interposed between saidworking section and said mechanical means for placing the portions ofthe bed between the operating tool and the rear support for the bed inthe same inclined position irrespective of the position of said tool.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

LEWIS F. CUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

